24

I just watched episode 24 of the first season of 24. I declare myself as a big fan of 24; I love it. The experience added to me a lot, I really benefited from it (above all the excitement I had). Just to give an example:

**WARNING: Spoilers**

• In the end of episode 21 where Kim gets kidnapped for the second time, I thought that they just want to keep the show for 24 episode. Also, in the last episode she escapes on her own (no rescue scene for her) which adds more to the theory. Anyway, in the same episode Jack kills the terrorists because he was told that she was killed. This means that the second kidnap was set for a greater purpose.

It's no secret that the show is full of many adorable moments but my favorite is in episode 23 where Terry tells Jack by phone that she is pregnant.

I borrowed the series from a friend but I am going to buy it this week. I plan on watching it again after a while, but first I should watch the second season (I want to know what happens to Nina, the dirty agent).

Astrology

I was never really interested in astrology till recently. As you might have seen in my profile, my zodiac year is the year of the rat and my astrological sign is scorpio. After searching through the internet for 15 minutes or so, I found the following:

• People born in the Year of the Rat are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful. They are most compatible with people born in the years of the Dragon, Monkey, and Ox.
  
  You are imaginative.
  You are generous.
  You can be quick tempered.
  You will be happy as a writer, critic or publicist.

• Scorpio, the eighth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by a scorpion. The planet Pluto rules Scorpio, which is a water sign.
  
  Astrologers consider Scorpios to be energetic, passionate, deep, intuitive, and secretive, with a great deal of self-control. They also believe that Scorpios can be wilful, stubborn, and easily made jealous. Scorpios are thought to be keen observers of people, potentially calculating and manipulative. Seeing more of people's deepest motivations than others do, they have a tendency to be cynical. They are sensitive and never forget a hurt or a slight—for the typical Scorpio, forgiveness can be difficult.
  
  Astrologers consider Scorpio perhaps the most extreme of all signs. The intensity and focus of Scorpios gives them great ability to see a project through despite all obstacles. Their strong leadership qualities, incisive analytic abilities, energy, and desire for financial security can make them motivated career people. Many Scorpios also like to flirt with danger and push themselves and those close to them to their limits.

• Water signs are associated with art and emotion. In combination with the other elements, water feels that fire will make it boil, air will evaporate it, but earth will shape and channel it.

• - Scorpio (fixed, water, social): passionately, sensitively, anxiously.

• Scorpio -- "I desire," intense, controlling, sexual, compulsive, deep, secretive, mysterious, obsessive, genitals.

A Picture

This was taken from the celebration of I Belong workshop. You can see me (2nd from the right) and Mr. Whyman (man in suit).

Here is an idea that I came across today and would like to share it:

Lets assign the alphabets (A, B, C...) values that equal their order (A=1, B=2, C=3...). Now, what word would give us a value of 100?

Lets try:

• Hard Work = 98.
• Knowledge = 96.
• Love = 54 (r u kidding?).
• Luck = 47.
• Money = 72 (not bad).
• Leadership = 89.

So what word would give us 100? Lets try once more:

• Attitude = 100

How do you define Engineering? A lecturer asked this question today. I would answer this way: The process of defining a problem, thinking of possible solutions, then applying scientific princples to reach the optimistic solution. I was shocked that most of the attendees, including me, could not answer immediately.



These days, I am reading a chapter of Harry Potter (the Arabic translation) about everynight. I tried the English version and I could read it easily but I bought this copy since I hoped that my younger siblings would read it as well (it was cheaper too). I have all four movies so far and I plan on buying the rest as soon as they come out on DVD.



The Naruto Anime Fillers are about to end (at last). I believe that episode 182, which should be aired by the end of this month, will be the last of them. Starting next month, I'll start watching the series as I used to (I tried to watch the fillers but they seemed to be from a world other than Naruto's). I am still reading the Manga up-to-date though (I also bought the first four books and will buy more soon).



You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" —George Bernard Shaw

For the last three programming courses, everytime I hand-in my exam paper, I end up to one and only one result: I am not cut out to be a programmer.
Is this true? Let me tell you a few facts then you can judge yourself.

Written exams from my department (Information and Computer Science - ICS) are somehow like this:
Suppose your instructor gives you a homework. In the description he tells you that the user should be able to do a, b, and c. You do your homework and you expect no less than an A. The grades are given and guess what? You got an F, or what I like to call big-O (meaning zero). Now, why did that happen? The instructor answers: blah, blah, blah, graphical user interface, blah, blah, blah. You just happened to do a console menu-driven application, which is the 1st thing that came to your mind since the description did not specify anything. The instructor answers with a smile that some students asked and he told them that they should use GUI.

In sum, you are never given what you need to accomplish what you are expected (not asked) to do. My last such exam was confusing and I am one who does not like to ask questions during the exam. I believe that if many students are asking questions during the exam means that the exam was badly written (probably rushed on a Saturdaynight or so).

So my grade in the exam was way below the average. Still, students got hight grades, that's why the average is so high. Well, let me tell you this: in the last practical quiz in the same course, my grade was much above the average. Actually, so far my lab assignments are higher than the average.

So, where is the problem? Answer: I got 57/100 in this last exam (22.5/50 for programming questions and 34.5/50 for theoritical questions). The average was about 72.

Am I not a good programmer if my written exam is below average yet all my practical work is above average?